Tri State Pharmacy earns accreditation

December 25, 2011

The board gave Tri State its Seal of Accreditation, a system of standards created by some of the leading organizations in the compounding pharmacy profession. Tri State is the first pharmacy in the Tri-State Area to earn the accreditation.

Compounding medications is an integral part of the practice of pharmacy and the demand for these customized medications are increasing every year, yet many people may not even be aware of its role, according to officials. Compounded medications are prescriptions that are written by physicians, veterinarians and other legally authorized prescribers and prepared for an individual patient by a specially trained pharmacist. Examples of compounded prescriptions are:

When a child needs a smaller dose of a medicine that is only commercially manufactured in adult-size doses.

When a person cannot tolerate the inactive ingredients (such as gluten or sugar) in manufactured medicines.

When a doctor believes a medicine is needed for his or her patient, but a manufacturer has discontinued the medicine for economic reasons.

Many pharmacies practice a small degree of compounding, but some, like Tri State, actually specialize in the centuries-old practice.

"Our renewed PCAB Accreditation status and our designation as a PCAB Accredited compounding pharmacy lets the public know that Tri State Pharmacy ranks among the best for quality and safety," said JJ Bernabei, co-owner and pharmacist. "The PCAB Seal of Accreditation shows our dedication to protecting our patients by practicing safe, high-quality compounding."

With the high volume of prescriptions that are compounded each year, there has been a need for an enhanced, profession-wide system of standards by which each compounding pharmacy can test its quality processes. While a compounding pharmacy is regulated by the state, PCAB Accreditation is an even more comprehensive way to ensure a compounding pharmacy is meeting quality and safety standards.

To earn PCAB Accreditation; Tri State Pharmacy had to complete an extensive application, document its written policies and provide an analysis of its quality procedures that were reviewed by the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board and some of the leading figures in the field of compounding. Next, compounding experts conducted an extensive on-site inspection . Only when these stringent evaluations were completed did the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board officially grant Tri State Pharmacy the PCAB Seal of Accreditation and the right to use the designation "PCAB Accredited compounding pharmacy."

"We are honored by this new accreditation. It confirms our commitment to providing safe, personalized solutions that meet the medical needs of our patients and the needs of the health care providers in our community who rely on us for these specialized medicines," said JJ Bernabei, RPh. "We believe this will further strengthen the bond of trust between our pharmacy and the community."

Locally-owned Tri State Pharmacy is one of two pharmacies in the Tri State Medical Group: Follansbee Pharmacy was the original compounding location until the new state of the art lab was constructed at Weirton Medical Center.